Transcription
BEWARE!!DO NOT READ THISBOOK FROMBEGINNING TO END!ARE YOU READY FOR POWER PLAY!?In this special edition GIVE YOURSELF GOOSEBUMPS, you’ve got tochoose the right POWER objects to take with you. Choose wrong and you’re— gone!At the Circus of Fear, you’ll need to be prepared for anything — andeverything — that can go wrong. Like walking the tightrope after it’s been cutwith shears! And outsmarting an evil ringmistress who wants to turn you intothe Kid Who Lives in a Jar!So stop clowning around and make your first choices. Because it alldepends on you. Will you hit it big under the big top? Or will something bigget to you before the finale?NOW, TURN THE PAGE, CHOOSE THREE POWER OBJECTS, ANDGET READY TO PLAY WITH POWER!
ContentsBeware!!Title Page123456789101112131415161718192021
47
73
99
6117118119120121122123124125
126127128129130131TeaserAbout the AuthorAlso AvailableCopyright
BEFORE YOU JOIN THE CIRCUS READ THIS!Congratulations! After a week at circus camp, you and your friend Richiehave been selected to spend a week as guest performers in a real-life circus.But this is no ordinary three-ring adventure.This is a terrifying circus of doom!Only if you make the right choices will you and Richie survive yourbone-chilling experience under the big top.Since this is a special GIVE YOURSELF GOOSEBUMPS, you get totake three things with you for extra help. Read through the list of objects onthe next two pages. Then decide what you think you will need.But remember, you may take only three things. No more!What will you need most when the going gets tough?It’s up to you to choose .Go on to PAGE 2.
Choose any three things from the list below. Then pack your bags andhead for the circus on PAGE 4!CAMERA: Great for taking pictures of the other circus performers youmeet. Also useful for recording proof of evildoing (if by some strange chanceyou run into any trouble during this adventure).DICTIONARY OF CIRCUS TERMS: A small book that will teach youthe cool words and phrases used by circus folk.MIRROR: Useful for putting on clown makeup (and for looking overyour shoulder).PEPPY, YOUR PET SNAKE: Not necessarily useful, but you can takehim everywhere with you (and you’re not sure you can trust your family toremember to feed him).CHOCOLATE BARS: You might want to take these along if you lovechocolate. That way, you’ll be prepared if you get a craving.TALCUM POWDER: The professional trapeze artists use talcum to keeptheir hands from slipping when they grip the bars. You might want some ifyou plan to do any swinging.BAG OF PEANUTS: A tasty treat for you (and a good bribe for angryelephants).BUNCH OF BANANAS: Not only are they high in potassium, but thepeels are useful if you want to get involved with the clown acts.
YOUR LUCKY BASEBALL CAP: You wore it every day at circus camp.Nothing bad happened to you. You figure maybe the cap kept you safe.BALL OF TWINE: Useful for tying things together, reconnecting brokenropes, etc.BULLWHIP: A fifteen-foot-long leather whip might come in handy if yourun into any lions or tigers on the loose!Choose three things. Then start the adventure on PAGE 4.
“Welcome!” a voice booms at you over a microphone. “Welcome to themost astounding show on Earth!”You step into a dimly lit circus tent. Rope shadows dance on the pointedcanvas tops. The smell of animals fills your nose.“Good-bye, honey,” your mom calls from the entryway. She blows you akiss. “Have fun.”“Okay, Mom bye,” you mumble. You’re distracted by how spooky thecircus tent looks. So gloomy. So creepy.“How come it’s so dark in here?” Richie Fieldston whispers at your side.He brushes his red hair out of his eyes.“I don’t know,” you answer. “And where is everyone?”You and Richie were in circus camp together this summer. You learnedhow to fly on the trapeze, do clown acts, and ride bareback on a horse.You were both so good at it, you won the chance to spend a whole weekin a real circus.“What are you two waiting for?” a female voice commands over themicrophone. “Come on down, you lucky kids. And make it fast!”You squint into the darkness. The voice sounds familiar.“Mistress Barbara?” you call. “Is that you?”“The name’s not Barbara,” the voice snaps. “It’s Barbarous!”Go on to PAGE 5.
Barbarous? You gulp. You and your mom met the ringmistress of thecircus outside. She seemed sweet and friendly.But she doesn’t sound so sweet now!“Hurry up!” her voice booms over the microphone.“Come on, Richie!” you exclaim. “We’d better get down there!”You hustle down the dim aisle. Richie follows reluctantly behind you.You toss your backpack down on a chair in the front row and step onto thesawdust-covered floor of the main ring. Richie plops down in a chair.Suddenly the lights snap on. Bright, glaring lights that almost blind you.In the next instant, a curtain swings back. Mistress Barbarous steps outholding a cordless microphone. She is wearing black leather pants, a red satinblouse, and a snug black vest. She smiles wickedly at you and claps her handsthree times.“Let the fun begin!” she bellows into the microphone.From behind her, a man in a black cape rides into the ring, standing on ahorse.He’s carrying a huge silver knife!And he’s pointing it at you!Race to PAGE 6.
SWOOSH! The man on the horse gallops right by you — so fast andclose, he nearly knocks you down.“You!” Mistress Barbarous cries. She points at you as she strides into themiddle of the ring. “Move it! Get over there so Morton the Knife Thrower canpractice!”She points at a huge white board. It’s a target with an outline of a personpainted on it.You know from circus camp what to do. You’re supposed to stand in frontof the board with your arms out like the painted outline. Then the knifethrower will throw knives at you.Missing you. You hope!You glance at the man on the horse. And at his sharp, sparkling knife.This could be really dangerous, you realize.Maybe you could still catch up with your mom outside. Then again, if youdefy Mistress Barbarous’s orders, there’s no telling what might happen .Well?If you stand in front of the board, turn to PAGE 33.If you run to catch up with your mom, turn to PAGE 9.
You decide to face the dangers on the floor. You take a deep breath tosteel yourself. “Ready,” you murmur.Time to deal with the lions, the knife thrower, Mistress Barbarous — andwhatever else is out to get you!You grip the bullwhip tightly as you jump off the trampoline. You land onthe dirt floor.“GRRRRR!” the lions growl hungrily.The hairs on the back of your neck prickle.The three furry beasts circle you. They look ravenous.“In the center ring!” Mistress Barbarous announces over her microphone.“It’s today’s main attraction — lunch!”You rub your sweaty forehead with the back of your hand. “Hup!” youyell, cracking your whip at the lions.The lions back away a step.But the knife thrower doesn’t.WHHHSSSSSHH! A knife sails so close to your head, it parts your hair.You can’t help screaming!Keep your nerves steady until you reach PAGE 16.
Plunge your hands into the spinning sugar?Why not? you think. It’ll be fun.Carefully, you ball your hands into fists. Then you dip them both into themachine.Little by little, you begin to pick up the cotton candy, wrapping it aroundand around your hands.“Yummy! Yummy! Let me have it!” Mr. Peepers demands, drooling withanticipation.You hold out your fists toward the greedy clown.I hope he’s a careful eater, you think.“Hold it right there!” commands an icy voice.It’s Mistress Barbarous! No!You spin around and gasp.Her eyes —They’re flaming purple!Go on to PAGE 82.
“Get into place!” Barbarous demands over the microphone.“Forget it!” you shout. “I’m out of here.”You spin around and race up the aisle. You wave to Richie as you zip pasthim. I hope he leaves, too, you think.You run. Out of the creepy tent. Through the dust of the parking lot,where your mom’s minivan is heading for the road.“Mom!” you shout, waving your arms frantically. “Wait! Come back!”Your mom has the window rolled up.Oh, no! She can’t hear me, you realize.But she glances over. She sees you waving and waves back.“Bye!” she mouths. She flashes you a big smile and then pulls out of theparking lot.Why didn’t she stop? you wonder.You hear a nasty little laugh. Behind you. You whirl around.It’s Mistress Barbarous. Waving and smiling good-bye to your mombehind your back.No wonder your mom left! She thought you and Barbarous were happilywaving good-bye.“Back inside!” Mistress Barbarous says through clenched teeth.Do what she says. Go back into the tent on PAGE 48.
A world record? Cool!The guy sounds nice, and obviously he has good taste if he’s calling youamazing .Your steps slow as you turn around and go back.Inside the sideshow tent, a tall man in green pants and a white pirate-stylesilk shirt smiles at you.“I’m Pietro — and you’re fantastic!” he says with a broad grin. “Whatspeed! Have you ever thought about a career as a runner?”“You mean like at the Olympics?” you ask, pumping his hand.“No,” Pietro replies, shaking his head. “I mean like running around andaround the circus ring with the lions and tigers chasing you.”Pietro’s eyes sparkle with a mischievous glint.Go to PAGE 76.
You decide to go searching for Richie. You exit the clown tent through theback. It leads into a small, dark tent that has candlelight flickering inside.Soft, eerie violin music draws you in.A huge trunk full of glittering costumes stands open. You glimpse adressing table covered with candles. Seated next to the table is a small, bentbacked gypsy. He looks about a hundred years old. He’s playing the violin.“Your friend is not here,” the gypsy announces.Weird. How did he know you were looking for someone?You shiver, wondering if this gypsy is friend or foe.But before you can ask him anything, you hear a growl.Behind you.All the hair on your neck stands on end.Turn around on PAGE 84.
“Now, get in your jar!” Mistress Barbarous growls at you. She pushes youtoward a four-foot-tall jar filled with oozing gray goop. It’s the same jar yousaw in the poster.“Don’t do it!” the Lizard Boy calls. “Whatever you do, don’t get into thatjar!”The Girl with Five Tongues shouts, “Run!”It comes out, “Run-run-run-run-run!”“She’s too strong!” you cry. “I can’t break away!”Even with you kicking at her, Mistress Barbarous is able to lift you up.She starts to shove you into the huge jar.Your hand dips into the cold, sticky gel. It’s so disgusting you feel likeyou might retch. Plus, it smells terrible. Worse than the smell of rotting flesh!“No!” the Lizard Boy cries. “Make a deal with her!”You have no idea what he’s talking about — but you would give anythingto stay out of the jar. So you call out.“I want to make a deal!” you shout, struggling to keep Barbarous frompushing you into the stinky jar.Go to PAGE 40.
Way to go! You brought your lucky baseball cap with you!And you wore it for the big performance.The lion falling on you didn’t hurt a bit! And it turns out he doesn’t wantto eat you after all — he just ran over you by accident. He couldn’t stop fastenough.You gently push the lion off you and spring to your feet.The audience roars with applause.You’re a huge hit! The crowd can’t get enough of you.You feel so lucky that you decide to walk the tightrope, even though younever practiced it.“But there’s no net!” Pietro objects. “Don’t be foolish!”“I’m incredibly lucky!” you boast. “Stand back!”The crowd goes wild.You’ve only got one problem. You’ve turned to a very unlucky page.Check it out. The page number is 13.You lose your balance on the wire and fall to the floor. Oooh, too bad.Your hopes for a circus career have just been dashed to the ground!THE END
Okay, you think. I’ll trust him. With his help, I’ll be able to get out ofhere! Besides, something in his voice sounds sincere. Like he really will helpme if I show him the photo.You stop and turn to face the lion tamer.“Let me see,” he says eagerly, hurrying toward you.You show him the camera screen.The Great Bostini stares at the photo for a minute. His face twists into alook of anguish, anger, and pain.“Noooo!” he cries, opening his mouth in a wide roar.Check out the picture on PAGE 92.
It might be risky. But you have no choice. You reach into your pocket andpull out the small mirror you brought from home.As you dance, you hold up the mirror and aim it at the pendant. You canbarely hold the mirror still, your feet are moving so fast.But all at once ZZZZZAP!Yes! You’ve caught the reflection of the magic pendant!The purple energy bolt shoots out of your mirror and straight into youreyes.The light fills your eyes. Blinding, searing pain!“Owwwww!” you scream, dropping the mirror and covering your eyes.Turn to PAGE 59.
You’re so scared, your heart feels as if it has jumped up into your throat.But you try not to let the fear show.The knife thrower draws another knife. In a flash, you crack your whip athim. You knock the knife away.“Ow!” he screams, popping his fingers into his mouth.“Yes!” you shout triumphantly.Barbarous flies into action. She blows a whistle. It brings a clownambulance racing into the ring. The siren blares as the clowns rush to theknife thrower’s side.The clowns make the lions nervous. They pace and roar, ripping the airwith their razor claws.Lions clowns acrobats knife throwers You’re completely surrounded.It’s big trouble under the big top!Go on to PAGE 70.
“H-h-how did this happen to you?” you stammer.“It happened to all of us,” Danny says, nodding at the other sideshowexhibits. “We came here as normal kids. But Barbarous trapped us and usedher magic on us. Now we’re freaks.”“And we’ll be here forever,” the Girl with Five Tongues moans. Her othertongues repeat the last word, like an echo. “Forever-forever-forever-forever.”The eerie echo makes your skin crawl.“I’ve got to find Richie and get out of here!” you declare. “But how do Ido it?”“I don’t know,” Danny says. “We all tried to run away. To escape. ButBarbarous always caught us.”“Someone’s coming,” Mr. Peepers declares. He’s been keeping watchwhile you talk to your friend. “Probably Mistress Barbarous!”“Quick! Hide!” Danny whispers.“No! Run!” Mr. Peepers instructs you.Hide or run? Hide or run? Quick, choose!If you’re a fast runner, dash to PAGE 62.If not, you’d better hide on PAGE 39.
That night, you’re the ringmaster of the new All-Star Kid Circus! You,Richie, and all the other sideshow kids are the stars!Richie rides bareback on a horse. Danny Mendleson juggles five clubs offire. Merrill does an amazing trapeze act with the boy who used to be the Kidwith Rotten Flesh. Now he’s a normal kid named Elliot Glass.The other circus performers, the regular clowns, acrobats, and jugglers,help out in the show. They’re delighted that the reign of Mistress Barbarousand her evil relatives is over.“But what about the pendant?” Richie whispers to you near the end of theshow. “If it falls into the wrong hands —”“That will never happen!” you interrupt. “Just watch.”As a grand finale to the circus you clap your hands three times. Threemagnificent elephants parade into the ring.They put their front legs in the air and stand up.You race forward and position the pendant on the ground in front of thebiggest elephant. When she lowers her huge front feet, she crushes the jade tosmithereens.“Good night, everyone!” you address the crowd over the microphone.“I’m proud to announce that this is a very happyEND!”
You glance nervously around, trying to make up your mind. You’ve gotthree choices.You can keep searching for Richie.Or, since you’re here in the clown tent, you can disguise yourself as aclown.Or you can hide and hope that Richie comes to find you.Choose!To search for Richie, turn to PAGE 11.To disguise yourself as a clown, turn to PAGE 35.To hide and wait for Richie, turn to PAGE 58.
“I won’t shut up!” the Lizard Boy yells at Mistress Barbarous. “I’m goingto tell this kid the truth about you!”“Yeah,” the Dog Girl barks. She turns her hound face toward you. “Wewere all normal kids once. But now rrrrrufff!”You stare hard at the Lizard Boy.“Hey,” you blurt out as it hits you. “Aren’t you ?”“Danny Mendleson,” the boy says, nodding sadly.Your stomach tightens into a knot.Danny Mendleson! He was last year’s winner at circus camp. He won thechance to join the circus for a week. And then he disappeared!“I’m Merrill Thornbush,” the Girl with Five Tongues pipes up. “I won atcircus camp two years ago. I’ve been here ever since.”“Since-since-since-since,” the other four tongues echo.Oh, no, you think. This must be where all the circus kids end up!Quick! Turn to PAGE 12.
“You just can’t stay away, can you?” Barbarous taunts, grinning at you.You stare up at her in terror.Mistress Barbarous is so evil! What will she do to me now? you wonder.Your teeth chatter from cold and fear.She drags you into the center ring under the big top and shoves you downto the dirt. Then she quickly backs away, leaving you there.You struggle to your feet and gasp.All around you, circus acts are going on! Deadly acts!The knife thrower on horseback rides around and around the center ring.Aiming his knife at you.Above you on trapezes are two women in pink leotards. They look readyto jump. Right on top of you!Three ferocious lions are wandering around loose. They roar and growl.“Welcome, circus kid!” Barbarous bellows over the microphone.“Welcome to your first — and last — performance under the big top!”The show starts on PAGE 72.
“Yes!” you gasp to the tiny clown at your side. “I have food. I’ve got abag of peanuts.”“Peanuts?” Mr. Peepers sputters. “Peanuts? Do I look like an elephant?What would I want with a bag of peanuts?”“Give me a break!” you whisper with the last of your breath. “Please helpme!”“Don’t you have any chocolate bars?” the pudgy clown demands.Too bad you can’t answer him. You just gasped your last breath.Oh, well. Nice try.At least you’ve learned something for next time. And this is a rule thatwill get you through all kinds of tricky situations, both in GOOSEBUMPSand in real life:Chocolate can almost always save the day!THE END
“What are you doing up there?” you call softly. “And how come youdropped slime on my head?”“My mouth was open. I drooled by accident,” Richie whispers. “Hurry!Climb the ladder. No one will find us up here.”You start climbing. Whoops! It’s too late for you to take this advice:Never hide anywhere with someone who drools. Because you knowwhat? If Richie drools, it won’t be long till he also starts hiccuping orburping.Which is exactly what he does, the minute you get up there.“Brrrruuuup! Oh, excuse me,” Richie mutters.“Aha!” Mistress Barbarous calls when she hears him belch. “Caughtyou!”She pulls out an ancient pendant from around her neck and a mirror fromher pocket. She uses these two items to work a terrible spell. Within seconds,she has transformed the two of you into conjoined twins. Joined at thestomach!That’s right. You now share a tummy with Richie Fieldston. Which meansthat when he burps, you burp! You two are a big hit in the sideshow. Peoplelove to bring you things to eat.“Please, Richie,” you beg him every day. “No beans!”THE END
Congratulations! You spotted all the lions and did the math correctly! Youmay not be lucky — but you’re smart!You didn’t need that lucky baseball cap after all.For your reward, you get to survive being knocked over by the lion.You also get three hints.Hint #1: When you choose your objects again at the start of the book, takethe thing that helps people to get a good look at themselves.Hint #2: Running from danger almost never gets you anywhere.Hint #3: When you go out in the sun, wear sunscreen. This won’t helpyou get through this book, but it will help you in real life!Now go back to PAGE 2 and begin the adventure again. And don’t eventhink about taking your lucky baseball cap if you want to outsmart MistressBarbarous inTHE END.
Your hand falls on the can of talcum powder. You grab it. It just mightwork! You yank off the cap and dump the white dust into your palm.“Ha!” you cry as you throw the powder in the Great Bostini’s face.“Grrrr!” The lion tamer growls angrily. His head snaps back. The talcumpowder hits his nose.And he starts to sneeze.“Ah — ah — ah ”Turn to PAGE 66.
You throw yourself flat just in time.One instant later the lion sails toward you .But because you ducked, he flies over your head and lands on Morton theKnife Thrower instead.“Nooooo!” Morton cries as the lion topples him.You stand up and dust yourself off.“Duck again!” the voice calls from above.You hit the ground. Then you roll over and peer into the dark area ofropes and platforms at the top of the tent.It’s Richie! you think. This time you recognized his voice.He’s been hiding up there this whole time!A second lion leaps over you. But this time, the lion doesn’t even seem tobe aiming for you. He’s leaping at the Great Bostini, the lion tamer, who’sbeen standing near the lion cages at the side of the ring.With a horrible growl, the lion rips Bostini’s costume to shreds.The lion is going crazy! Attacking his master!“Help me! Please!” Bostini begs you.Give him a hand on PAGE 126.
You gaze down and see another young woman in a pink leotard. Exceptshe has a black snake sewn on her costume. Another cobra.Otherwise she looks exactly like Sara the Human Snake!Twins? Uh-oh. Doesn’t Mistress Barbarous have twin sisters?“Who’s that?” you call up to Sara.“Oh, no! That’s Susan, my sister,” Sara moans. “She gets really jealouswhen I work out with anyone besides her.”“Hey, what are you doing, Sara?” Susan yells. She sounds really angry.“Who’s your new friend?”“I’m just here for a week,” you say, trying to sound friendly.“Really?” she sneers. “Well, be careful, I’d hate for you to fall.” TWANG!She shoves the ladder.You glare down at her. She has a cold glint in her eye — and a huge pairof steel shears in her hands!“Climb faster, kid,” she shouts at you. “Or you won’t have anything toclimb on!”Then she scales the ladder as fast as lightning. She’s right under yourrung.“Leave my friend alone,” Sara cries.But it’s too late. Susan cuts the rung under your feet!Hold on tight until you reach PAGE 44.
Dust flies up under your feet as you and Mr. Peepers run through thecircus tents.What about Richie? you think. He’s in trouble, too!“I have to go back for my friend!” you shout to Mr. Peepers. You turn togo help Richie, but then you see the evil clown stretching his arms again. Theawful white hands are coming for you!“Never mind!” you scream. “Let’s go!”Mr. Peepers ducks under a lion cage. You follow. You both crawl on yourbellies to the other side. Then you hide behind a large leather trunk.You watch as the clown hands search everywhere for you. But they can’tfind your hiding place. Finally they give up and shrink away.“We did it!” you exclaim. “Thank you so much!”“You’re welcome. Now, where’s my chocolate?” Mr. Peepers holds outhis hand expectantly.“It’s in my backpack,” you answer, breathing hard. “I left it in the maintent.”“All right, follow me,” Mr. Peepers orders you.“B-b-but Mistress Barbarous is in there!” you stammer. “She was tryingto kill me before!”Hurry to PAGE 46.
As you dance, you pull the bullwhip out of your backpack. With a snap ofyour wrist, you crack the leather whip in the gypsy’s direction.Too bad! Not only does the whip not hit the violin, but it curls around inthe air and lashes back at you!The whip wraps itself around your body!“Noooo!” you cry as you fall to the floor. You can’t move a muscle! Thewhip is wrapped around your body like a cobra!Mistress Barbarous roars with laughter. She draws nearer.Quick! What else did you bring with you?Nothing.You wouldn’t be on this page unless you had the chocolate bars, thecamera, and the bullwhip.You know the rules. You were only allowed to bring three things. Face it!You’ve run out of props.You’re whipped!THE END
“Wait!” Bostini calls. “The photo! I want to see it!”“No way!” you shout. It would be too risky to trust him. You’ve got tofind Richie and get out of here.The last time you saw Richie, a clown had him pinned to the ground witha giant shoe. That was in the backstage tent. So that’s where you go!Crowds of circus people mill around in the backstage tent. They’redressed in their costumes, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. A fewof them glance at you, then look away in boredom.Richie is nowhere to be seen.Hmmm, you think. I need help to find Richie and get out of here. Maybeone of these circus people can be trusted.But which one?Try to find someone nice on PAGE 42.
You whirl away, dancing faster and faster to escape the knife-tipped bow.“What an act!” Mistress Barbarous cries. “I’m a genius!”The good news is: You don’t get stabbed by Ramon’s deadly bow. Youlearn how to dance around it!The bad news is: You have to dance around it every single night!You and Ramon are the new stars of the circus. Your act is called “Ramonand the Dance-Crazy Kid.”While he plays, you dance wildly around the circus rings. You whirl andtwirl, your feet flying up in a pattern of crazy rhythms. The audience cheers,especially when you take your bow at the end of the big show, and you’re stilldancing!What they don’t know is that you’re always dancing! The magic of thecharm never wears off. You dance day and night week after week yearafter year You’re a regular dancing fool!THE END
No way are you going to trust this person, you decide.Which is a very smart move.Maybe you knew, and maybe you were only guessing. Either way, you’reright. The woman with the black cobra on her costume is Susan, the twinsister of Sara the Human Snake.Sara’s the nice one. Susan is pure evil.Unfortunately, right then Geyorg the huge clown gives one final shake ofhis arms.You can’t help it. He shakes you so hard, you let go of his costume.You close your eyes.“Helllllp!” you scream as you hurtle toward the ground.Land on PAGE 63.
You stand in front of the target and stretch out your arms and legs tomatch the white outline.“Remember to hold still,” Richie calls to you. He sounds nervous. But notanywhere near as nervous as you are.You’re petrified!Your heart pounds in rhythm with the horse’s hooves stomping around thering.BA-BOOM. BA-BOOM. BA-BOOM.“Don’t move!” the knife thrower warns. “Not an inch. Not unless youwant to get hurt!”With a horrible glint in his eye, he pulls back his arm and throws thehuge, gleaming knife.It looks like the knife is coming straight at your heart!Are you going to just stand there? Or should you try to leap out of theway?If you leap out of the way, turn to PAGE 75.If you stand still, turn to PAGE 60.
Mistress Barbarous’s eyes narrow as she lifts the cord that hangs aroundher neck. Dangling from it is an ancient-looking jade pendant, carved with theimage of a face.“You’ll be sorry,” Mistress Barbarous repeats. She quickly pulls out asmall mirror. She dangles the pendant in front of it and gazes at the reflection.Your mouth falls open as you see a beam of purple light shoot from thependant face in the mirror to Mistress Barbarous’s eyes!Mistress Barbarous glances up at Ramon the Gypsy. Her eyes are pools ofglowing purple light. You swallow hard.“No!” Ramon cries as the purple energy bolt shoots from her eyes to his.A second later, the gypsy begins to play his violin wildly. Faster and faster.Like a train picking up speed.And the violin bow in his hands begins to grow.You can’t believe your eyes.The bow grows longer and longer.And a sharp blade shoots out of the tip!See what happens on PAGE 86.
You decide to dress up as a clown. That way you can search for Richieand not be noticed!You start by pulling on a crazy clown wig. Green.Your hands shake. Hurry! you urge yourself. You’ve got to finish beforeanyone comes in.You sit at the makeup table to put on white clown-face paint. You add ahuge, frowning black mouth and blue triangles around your eyes.Within minutes, you don’t even recognize yourself!All you need now is a costume. A bunch of them are hanging on a rackbehind you.You pick a suit that’s half red and half green, split right down the middle.The costume is big and floppy, much too big for you. But so what? Clownsalways wear baggy clothes, right?For a final touch, you pull on a pair of giant clown shoes.Perfect! you think, staring at yourself in the mirror. Now I can goanywhere, and no one will know it’s me!Boldly, you walk right out into the middle of the big tent.And, BAM! Right into Mistress Barbarous!Hope your costume works on PAGE 115.
You decide to sneak past Mistress Barbarous at the exit. It seems like thebest chance you’ll get to escape!“I’m getting out of here,” you whisper up to Richie.You slink along the shadows at the edge of the tent. You hide behindpoles. You duck under the seats.Mistress Barbarous is talking with one of the circus performers. She’sshowing him some sort of large poster that she holds in her hands.Here’s my chance, you think. If they stay busy, maybe I can sneak pastthem. Just slip out, behind Mistress Barbarous’s back .As you approach, Mistress Barbarous unrolls the poster and holds it up infull view.You want to scream when you glimpse what’s on it.Check out the poster on PAGE 49.
A star? Forget it. You’ve heard enough lies from these circus people. Youwant to go home!So you keep running. Straight across the parking lot. Down the road. Up ahill. Down another road.It’s six long miles home, but you make it. Panting and out of breath, youdrag into your room, flop down on your bed, and fall into a deep sleep.You sleep for eight days straight! By the time you wake up, the circus hasmoved on to another town.It’s too late to help any of the kids stuck in the sideshow! And too late to
In this special edition GIVE YOURSELF GOOSEBUMPS, you've got to choose the right POWER objects to take with you. Choose wrong and you're — gone! At the Circus of Fear, you'll need to be prepared for anything — and everything — that can go wrong. Like walking the tightrope after it's been cut with shears!
